A beautiful year for Thornton wholesaler

A family run beauty wholesale business is celebrating a year of going it alone with an open day.

Directhairbeauty based at Chester Court in the RedMarsh Estate is throwing open the doors of its showroom, warehouse and training venue on Monday to customers.

It was set up 14 years ago by Maria and Leroy Farmer to supply the hairdressers and beauty salons of the Fylde and beyond.

It had become associated with a multi national, Sally Salon Services, but after that business changed the way it was working the Farmer family decided to break away and go it alone.

A move into an attic room over a coffee shop in Fleetwood paid off, for after six weeks it had outgrown that temporary home and now it has moved into purposely revamped premises with its own showroom internet delivery warehouse and training facilities. Kyle Woodcock business development manager said: “When the business made the change we left behind a lot of the products our loyal customers had used.

“It was a big step but we wanted to broaden the range, look at different products and use our buying power to get great deals for customers. Now 75 per cent of our customers are new.

“The new premises are great and we will be running training courses and doing more inspirational work to keep salons up to speed with the latest trends and seen on TV styles.”

He said the wholesaler delivers to salons across the Fylde, nationwide and abroad.

“This morning we sent our a large consignment to Sweden and we have customers in Spain and the US.

“A lot of ex-pats who have gone abroad and set up salons want the products they have used back home and just can’t buy them out there, which is where we come in.

“Sometime the products they sell in their salons to customers end up on the shelves of bargain stores and so we tend to use exclusive products which are top quality and which area not going to be found in the pound shops.

Managing director Maria Farmer said: “We’re really proud to be a local business, and excited for what the future holds.”

She said the open day with industry experts on-hand was to thank all their customers and to show them that their businesses were at the core of Directhairbeauty’s business.

Sales director Leroy Farmer said: “It’s really comforting to see more people shop local and see their money being reinvested in the local area.”